The present invention relates to a magnetic head positioning mechanism for a magnetic disk apparatus.
A magnetic disk apparatus performs recording and reproducing operations such that a magnetic signal recorded in a magnetic disk medium rotated at high speed is converted into an electrical signal by a magnetic head which is moved while floating above the surface of the magnetic disk medium. For this reason, the electrical signal from the magnetic head must be connected to a control board. A carriage having the magnetic head must be compact and lightweight to write and read data at high speed. Therefore, a compact, lightweight flexible printed board is used as wiring lines on the carriage, and electric parts such as ICs are mounted on the flexible printed board.
FIG. 5 perspectively shows a conventional magnetic head positioning mechanism. A plurality of arms 30 arranged at predetermined intervals in the form of a comb-like section are arranged in a carriage 3, and suspensions 20 are fixed to the distal ends of the arms 30 with screws, respectively. One or two magnetic heads 2 are connected to the distal end of each of the suspensions 20 in correspondence with the surface of a corresponding one or the surfaces of the adjacent ones of a plurality of magnetic disk media 1 which are stacked at predetermined intervals. A flexible printed board 4 on which electric wiring lines 5 for connecting the magnetic head 2 to a control board (not shown) are printed is fixed on one side surface of the carriage 3, and an amplifier IC 6 and electric parts 7 are mounted on the flexible printed board 4 arranged on the side surface of the carriage 3. Reference numeral 8 denotes a coil for driving the carriage 3.
In recent years, however, as the magnetic disk device has a small size and a high density, the carriage 3 for mounting the magnetic heads 2 thereon has a smaller size, a lighter weight, and a more complex shape. In such a carriage the wiring lines must be formed a complex-shaped surface. The flexible printed board 4 for the wiring lines must consists of a thin and soft material that can be deformed to conform to the three-dimensional shape of the side surface of the carriage 3 or the like. However, a wiring, e.g., a bridge wiring or the like, which has a three-dimensional shape that cannot be developed into a plane, cannot be formed on the flexible printed board 4 because the flexible printed board 4 consists of a two-dimensional sheet material. In addition, even when the printed electric wiring lines 5 themselves can conform to a three-dimensional shape, the mounted amplifier IC 6 and the electric parts 7 cannot conform to the three-dimensional shape.